3.3 Million Signed Up for Obamacare, Young People Surge

Nearly 3.3 million people have enrolled in Obamacare insurance plans as of Feb. 1, officials said Wednesday.

And the percentage of enrollees who were between the ages of 18 and 34 grew by 3 percentage points in the month of January over the prior three months, officials pointed out, underscoring the importance of that demographic group to Obamacare insurance plans.

"These encouraging trends show that more Americans are enrolling every day and finding quality, affordable coverage in the marketplace," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

A total of 3,299,492 had enrolled in Obamacare plans as of Feb. 1, according to HHS.Of that total, 1.9 million people had enrolled via HealthCare.gov, the federally run health insurance exchange that sells Obamacare plans in 36 states. Another 1.4 million enrolled via exchanges operated by the remaining 14 states and the District of Columbia.

Open enrollment in Obamacare plans ends March 31, the date by which most Americans must have some form of health insurance or face a tax penalty next year.